Quid Pro Quo
by NightShade727
Summary: Research is going nowhere and Birkin knows he's living on borrowed time. When Spencer gives him a chance to redeem himself, he knows its an offer he can't refuse. And if things don't go according to plan, Umbrella will make him pay.
1. Chapter 1

Quid Pro Quo

William Birkin was staying late in the labs again. It had been years since he had left the lab before ten at night and even longer since he left at the proper time of eight thirty with the rest of the employees. Annette had gone home about two hours ago to take care of Sherry so he was completely alone. At the moment, he was in his usual spot; hunched over his desk, surrounded by piles of paper with three coffee cups perched precariously on the edge of his workstation.

He looked into his microscope for what seemed like the millionth time today and scribbled the less than desired outcome of his latest experiment into his notepad. No matter how hard he tried, he just didn't seem to be able to control the constant mutations of his G-Virus and this latest test was evident of that. And yet, despite another set back, he couldn't stop working on it. The virus was mocking him, taunting him, forcing him to continue to slave over it until he got it right.

Taking the paper containing the results in his hand, he crumpled it into a tiny ball and tossed it at the wastebasket sitting on the other side of the lab. It went wide, missing the trashcan completely and bouncing along the empty desk behind his intended target. William sighed and slowly got up out of his chair, his knees and back protesting the movements. He had been in the same position for hours now and they were stiff from lack of movement. The cracking and dull pain in his joints reminded him of his age and that his body probably couldn't take the abuse he subjected it to for many years longer.

He gingerly walked over to the other desk, stepping over mounds of paper and trash to get there. The crumpled paper was the only thing on the desk, the one clean and organized part of the entire lab.

It had been kept that way ever since the owner of that desk, William's partner and friend, Albert Wesker, had changed departments in Umbrella. Though people often suggested that Annette or John Clemens, the new scientist assigned to take Wesker's place, should be given the desk, William adamantly refused. He kept it that way in for him in the hopes that one day, he and Wesker would reconcile and he would rejoin William in research of the G-Virus. Though now, four years later, the likelihood of that happening seemed slim.

Once he threw away the crumpled paper, he sat down at his chair once again and began working on the next sample. There had to be some way for him to stabilize the virus. The answer was there, hidden somewhere in the complexities of the G-Virus. He was just over-looking it.

"Doctor William Birkin."

William jumped out of his chair, not having heard anyone approaching. His heart pounded against his rib cage as he turned to face the speaker. He easily recognized the man but the recognition did not bring a welcomed calm like it did to most people when they are startled. Rather, realizing who the man was only added to the adrenaline induced fight or flight reaction he was experiencing.

Ozwell E. Spencer was leaning against the door to his lab, smiling at the obvious discomfort he had caused the scientist. It had been many years since William had last seen the president of Umbrella. In the years since, Spencer's hair had turned completely gray and he was balding along the top of his head. His skin looked leathery and deep wrinkles lined his face. He still dressed ostentatiously in a black suit with a blood red shirt under his suit jacket. In his hand he held his usual leather briefcase with the initials OES engraved on the buckle.

"Working late in the labs again? Just as I expected," commented Spencer as he swaggered into the lab.

"Mr. Spencer, I..." William paused not knowing how to respond, "wasn't expecting any visitors."

"Clearly," nodded Spencer, gazing up and down his employee intently.

Spencer's dark eyes raking over his body instantly made him feel self-conscious. William knew he didn't look his best. His lab coat had flakes of blood and other tissue splattered all down the front where a test specimen lashed out at him. His tie and shirt had a stain on it from where he spilled coffee and Chinese food, his only meal all day. Since he hadn't left the lab for more then a few hours in the last week, he was also in desperate need of a shower and shave.

After giving William a once over, he looked around the lab, taking in the sea of seemingly endless paper. "Such a marvelous work ethic from a _dedicated_ employee."

William swallowed, wondering if the sarcasm he heard in Spencer's last statement was real or imagined. Rumors of Spencer's erratic tendencies had become more frequent over the last few years and Umbrella personnel tried to avoid him at all costs. The last time he saw the man, Spencer had whimsically given William and Wesker the order to assassinate Doctor James Marcus. And with his lack of improvement on the G-Virus, William was sure he was living on borrowed time until Spencer decided that he had lost his usefulness. "Can I help you with something?"

"Yes, I have an important matter to discuss with you." Spencer sat down in William's chair and put the briefcase on the table. "Please, sit."

William walked over to Wesker's desk and dragged the chair over to his own desk. He placed it opposite of Spencer, so that the two looked at each other straight on. Wesker's chair was slightly lower, putting Spencer's head slightly above his own. Being positioned like this made William feel like a student in trouble sitting before the principal, awaiting punishment.

"How are you doing, William?"

William cringed at the familiarity Spencer used when he called him by his given name. Very few people ever called him William. Only Annette and Wesker did regularly, everyone else called him Dr. Birkin. "I am doing well, thanks."

"Good," Spencer said before he even finished speaking, obviously not really wanting the answer to the question. "Now I have to ask you, how is your relationship with Albert Wesker?"

The scientist looked at his lap, unsure of how this was relevant to anything Spencer would need to speak to him about. "I haven't seen or heard from Wesker for about four years now. We had a...falling out...when he switched to the Information Department."

"Ah, yes," Spencer put on a face of sympathy. "I do remember hearing something of the sort. At that time, both of you were enduring quite a bit of emotional trauma, if I remember correctly."

William pressed his lips into a thin line. He knew the 'emotional trauma' Spencer was talking about. Right before Wesker left, Spencer had blackmailed another scientist to wreak havoc in the labs. Multiple employees had been killed in the incident and Wesker, realizing how much control Spencer had over all of their lives, decided to transfer in order to get away from him. "Yes, it was a trying time."

Spencer smiled, his dark eyes glittering with some kind of perverted delight. William resisted the urge to shiver under his gaze. It was amazing how Spencer had the power to make him uncomfortable in his own lab. The President clicked open his briefcase and pulled out a large folder. He put it down and slid it across the desk so that it fell face down perfectly into William's lap.

"What is this?" asked William, carefully picking up the folder. A thousand thoughts about its contents ran through his mind. What if it contained photos of him and Annette being intimate in the lab last week? Oh, he knew doing that was a bad idea! Or what if it was the papers he forged to make it look like the G-Virus was progressing more than it was? Or what if it was a new order to assassinate some other Umbrella scientist? William didn't think he could handle another one.

"This is Project W," Spencer purred, obviously proud of it.

"Project W?" William's brow knotted in confusion. He couldn't ever recall hearing of such a project. Was it a new kind of weapon? A recently discovered strain of the Progenitor virus? "I've never heard of it."

"It is a secret project that has been in the works for almost thirty years now," Spencer leaned far over the desk, putting his face mere inches away from William's. The scientist leaned back to get away from him. "It is time to begin the second phase of this project and you, William, are what I need to make it work."

"Why me?" William groaned, not caring how whiny he sounded. Years ago, if Spencer sought him out for a top secret project, he would have jumped at the chance to take it on. Now, the prospect just filled him with dread.

"You have a personal connection to Project W and it is on that connection that the success of part of the the project rests."

"Personal connection? I've never even heard about it before!"

The smile on Spencer's face only grew. "Open it and you will see."

William stared at him for a bit but when Spencer nodded him on, he tentatively opened the folder, taking in a deep breath as he did. The cover page had_ Project W_ written in big letters in red. The next couple pages were formulas combining the Progenitor Virus with various chemicals and substances to create what looked like a perfect strain. "This just looks like the original T-Virus research logs that Doctor Marcus-"

"This project predates Marcus's work on the T-Virus, and in fact, it might be more accurate to say that this was my original plan when I started Umbrella."

"But these are plans to build an advanced weapon. How is that any different than the T-Virus research?" William asked, becoming intrigued despite himself. Obviously he was missing something.

"The goal of the project was to create the perfect human race to rule this less-than-perfect world. They would be modified with the Progenitor Virus to be better in all aspects of the human experience. For example, they would be physically stronger, faster, have a higher intelligence, and be able to suppress human conditions like hunger, pain, and petty emotions. The T-Virus research is strictly out of the desire for a bio-weapon."

He nodded slowly, letting Spencer's words sink in and returning his attention to the report in his hands. The lab fell silent except for the sound of William flipping through the file pages. His eyes skimmed over the formulas, not paying much attention to the equations but instead looking for his 'personal connection' to the project.

According to the report, hundreds of people were kidnapped between the years of 1967 and 1969 as potential test subjects to receive the virus that would render them superhuman. The subjects, mostly children, were taken from all over the world. Anyone who was deemed to show exceptional talent or intelligence was on the kidnap list. However, after many failed attempts at finding a perfect serum, the head researcher on the project decided to limit the number of participants to thirteen children and follow them through their lives.

The thirteen children were given the same surname as the researcher and placed in various locations all over the world. They were appointed a guardian specifically selected by Spencer and raised with no knowledge of their connection to the project. Umbrella funded all of their schooling and other needs to ensure that they were all given the opportunity to become successful in whatever field they would desire.

"Who was the head researcher on this project?" William asked, trying to ease the heavy silence. Though he didn't want to admit it, he was in awe of this person. The task would have been enormous to take on, especially with all the cover-up work that had to be done to keep it quiet. The fact that it had gone on for so long was another tribute to how good the researcher must have been. Working on this intense of a project for thirty years would not be an easy feat, even with all Umbrella's resources behind them.

"Her name is Alexandra Wesker. She was a student of Marcus's whom I took under my wing."

"What?" William's head snapped up and he stared at Spencer, eyes and mouth wide open. He couldn't have heard that right...Alexandra _Wesker_?

"Yes, Alex is both a test subject and the head researcher on the project. We had all the other test subjects named for her. It is Project Wesker, after all."

The words on the page once again flashed across his mind. _The thirteen children were given the same surname as the researcher_. Since all the children were named after the researcher, that meant that...his eyes dropped down to the bottom of the page. He quickly scanned it, and he suddenly felt like he had been slammed into a brick wall, knocking all the air from his lungs.

_Test Subjects_

_001: Hans_

_002: Felicia_

_003: Marco_

_004: Jonah_

_005: Irma_

_006: Ken_

_007: Laura_

_008: William_

_009: Hiro_

_010: Derek_

_011: Miles_

_012: Alex_

_013: Albert_

"That's impossible..." William whispered, reading over the name of subject thirteen one more time. No, he hadn't read it wrong, the name was still Albert. "No...it can't...be..."

"What is impossible?" inquired Spencer.

"Wesker...Albert...he's one of your test subjects?" exclaimed William.

"Are you having trouble reading?" Spencer asked in mock concern. "Yes, he is one of the individuals who is meant to receive the right to rule the human race."

"But that can't be true!"

Spencer raised an eyebrow, looking amused at his denial. "Why is it impossible to believe that Albert is one of my test subjects?"

"Wesker's parents were Umbrella scientists that were killed in a lab accident when he was a child! He was then put under the watch of an Umbrella employee! He told me all those things! He remembers-"

"Think about what you just said," Spencer rolled his eyes. "Is it truly impossible for Albert to be test subject number thirteen?"

Actually, what he just said sounded a lot like the report. And, now that he thought about it, all of Wesker's life-or what William knew of it-was affected in some way by Umbrella. He was raised by an Umbrella employee by the name of Alex, and Umbrella paid his way through school. Hell, he was their top employee for fourteen years under Spencer himself! Realizing defeat, William snapped his mouth shut.

"I see that you're beginning to see things for what they are," Spencer reached out and took the folder from William's hands. "Albert, if I remember correctly, was kidnapped at seven years old. His parents were scientists at a rival pharmaceutical company. Alex and I brainwashed him, as well as the other test subjects, and gave them new family histories. If you had noticed, Albert never mentioned remembering any of the events. He just knows they happened because that is what _we told him to know_."

William stared at Spencer in horror. Wesker was right; Spencer was always in control, but in Wesker's case, in more ways than he could ever imagine.

"Like I was saying earlier, I need you for the next phase of Project Wesker," Spencer said, putting the folder back into his briefcase. "In a few months' time, Alex will have developed the experimental virus-"

"Wait," William sat up straight. "What exactly are you asking me to do?"

"I'm asking you to begin the second phase of Project W with test subject thirteen."

"You're asking me to test my partner," William snapped, folding his arms tightly across his chest.

"If you wish to be technical about it, then yes."

"No, I am not going to do it." William stood up and opened the door to the lab. He gestured to the hallway outside, hoping that the man would leave. "Go find someone else to do your dirty work. I have too much to do and, like I said, I haven't spoken to Wesker in quite some time."

"William," Spencer hissed, glaring at him. "Sit...down."

The venom in Spencer's voice was enough to make William obey his order. He quickly made his way back to his seat and sat down, keeping his head bowed.

"Now, I want you to listen very carefully," Spencer got up and walked over to William. He leaned over him, placing a hand on each armrest of his employee's chair, effectively trapping the scientist below him. William shrunk back into the chair as Spencer towered above him. "If you do not do _exactly_ as I say, you will certainly regret it."

William gulped and nodded, refusing to meet Spencer's dark eyes. He knew he was trapped and that there was no escaping this task. Spencer wanted it done and when Spencer wanted something done, it was done without question by risk of death. Those were the rules, plain and simple. Not playing by his rules was like signing your own death warrant. "Yes, sir."

Seemingly satisfied that he had William under his command, Spencer went back to his chair. "Now, when Alex has finished working with the virus I will send you samples that you are to administer to Albert."

The scientist glared. "Did you not hear what I said? Wesker and I no longer speak. I can't just give it to him and expect him to take it."

"William," Spencer's dark eyes flashed and then fixed on him. "Do you know why I approved your proposal to work on the G-Virus?"

William blinked and pursed his lips together. The question caught him off guard and he didn't know how Spencer wanted him to answer. Why was he even bringing this up now? It had nothing to do with their current discussion on Project Wesker but he could never be sure when it came to Spencer. "I...don't know, sir."

"In all honesty, the G-Virus is absolutely useless," Spencer sighed heavily as if he were highly disappointed in his employee. "It is far to unstable and unpredictable to sell and make any real money. And don't even get me started on your utter failure to make advancements in any of your other research because of your obsession with the G-Virus. You are wasting my funds and, quite frankly William, you are becoming a liability."

William opened his mouth to say something but couldn't form words. His heart began pounding in his chest and it seemed as if his brain had stopped all normal function. A liability? The last person to become a 'liability' was Doctor Marcus and he ended up facedown in a sewer, riddled with bullets.

"If you do not agree, I will have to begin looking back over all your doctored progress reports detailing your improvements on the G-Virus. All of this," Spencer motioned to the lab. "Your lab, your funding, everything you hold dear, will be taken away from you."

"You only approved my G-Virus, so that I would do this for you?" William spat, his pride stinging. It wasn't his intelligence and innovation that got him the approval to work on the G-Virus, but rather it was meant to be a tool for Spencer to keep him as a pawn in his ever more elaborate game.

Spencer grinned. "It is only fair. I do something for you, you do something for me. Quid pro quo."

His throat tightened in anger and his cheeks burned. He couldn't experiment on Wesker but he couldn't let Spencer take the G-Virus from him. It was his life! It was everything to him! Without it, everything he ever worked for would be a waste. He sighed. "Fine...I'll do it."

"Excellent!" Spencer said, clasping his hands. "Alex will have the virus completed by the end of the year. In the mean time, you can work on rebuilding your relationship with Albert."

"How?" William asked weakly, unable to meet Spencer's eyes. "I don't know where he is and we haven't talked in years."

"I will be calling a meeting at my Arklay Mansion in a few weeks," Spencer explained, standing up. "Albert will be in attendance, as will you. You can begin trying to reconcile there."

"What if he doesn't want to?" William knew that this was a very distinct possibility. Their last encounter had been far from cordial. In fact, he had cursed Wesker and told him to never come back to the labs.

Spencer shrugged. "That is not my problem. Also, this project is confidential. No one is to know of it, especially Albert. And if Annette were to find out, well, I would have to make sure she _assisted_ me with the research."

William instantly got the meaning and nodded his head stiffly. He looked up at Spencer, meeting his eyes for the first time that night. The man was glowing, basking in the power he had just asserted over his employee. He crumpled under the gaze and hung his head in shame.

"Think of this as a chance to redeem yourself," Spencer moved so that he was behind William and he reached out, gripping the scientist's shoulder tightly, applying force to the pressure point just behind the clavicle. William drew in a sharp breath and pressed his lips together to keep from crying out. Spencer leaned forward so that he could whisper into his ear. "Trust me, I am not the only one you have fallen out of favor with and this could be the way to save yourself."

William hastily nodded his head, tears beginning to fill his eyes. The pain was intense but he refused to give Spencer the satisfaction to see him succumb to it. He had already proved his dominance over him once and William really didn't want to have it happen again.

"Well then," Spencer released his shoulder and straightened up. He gave him a pat on the back before turning to the door. "I will see you in July. Good evening." Without another word, Spencer left, leaving William all alone.

The scientist remained frozen in his seat until he heard the last of Spencer's footfalls disappear completely. After a few moments of complete silence, William's blue eyes swept over the lab; the mounds of paper, unfinished tests, hundreds of samples. He betrayed his one ally for a room full of empty objects and hostile viruses. For the first time in his life, William felt completely alone.

He sighed and turned back to the test he had forgotten when Spencer interrupted him. He couldn't afford any other delays and had to continue working. Spencer's attention was focused on him and if he didn't get results, he would pay the ultimate price.

**So this is what I think happened to get Birkin to give Wesker the experimental virus that made him superhuman. I like to think of the two of them as being close friends and that Birkin wouldn't have willingly given Wesker the virus.**

**Anyway, I hope everyone liked it. Please review! =)**


	2. Chapter 2

**At long last, here is part 2! Thanks to skiptrix and netherlady for the reviews! It means a lot!**

Quid Pro Quo

Part II

William squinted as he looked up into the bright afternoon day. The summer sun beat down on him and sweat was dripping from his brow. He shifted uncomfortably, wishing he could shed his long lab coat or at least change into a short-sleeved shirt.

"It would seem that they are late," Spencer clicked his tongue in a disapproving manner. He stepped up behind his employee, standing a little too close for William's personal comfort. "How disappointing."

The sandy blond man shivered despite the heat and took a step away from Spencer.

"So nervous, William," Spencer said in a patronizing tone, smiling as if it was some big joke.

William felt his cheeks burn and he turned away from his employer, burying his face into the notes he was holding in his hands. Why couldn't the man just leave him alone?

"I trust you still have our little arrangement in mind."

"Of course," William nodded his head, still facing away from Spencer. How could he forget it? His dreams for his life's work had been destroyed right before his eyes and now he was forced to regain a relationship with a friend who never wanted to see him again for the sole purpose of experimenting on him.

The thought sent chills down his spine. There was no way he'd be able to pull this off. Wesker could read him all the time when they were partners; he would know something was up almost immediately.

"Ah, I believe that's them there."

His blue eyes looked upward just as the helicopter appeared above the tops of the Arklay forest tress. William felt his heart start pounding faster as he watched the aircraft slowly approaching. He shook his head and focused back on his G-Virus notes. At the meeting he was going to have to give a presentation on the progress of his virus and he needed to make sure he made it convincing.

Since his last meeting with Spencer, he tried very hard to make some or any progress with his precious G-Virus but to no avail. The constant, uncontrollable mutations still haunted him with each new step he took toward perfecting the virus. However, try as he might, he was starting to have his doubts.

Spencer knew exactly how to dismantle his confidence and William had yet to fully regain it. The man was in his head and he didn't know if there was any way to escape it.

Winds began to blow up around him as the helicopter neared them and began its descent. William clutched his notes closer to him so he didn't lose them as the gusts grew stronger.

The helicopter touched down and William turned away from it.

"Come, William," Spencer called above the whirl of the spinning blades. "Time to greet your partner."

William took a deep breath and spun around. At that moment, his old best friend and partner stepped out of the aircraft. Wesker looked the same as he did the last time William saw him four years ago. His golden blond hair was still slicked back and perfectly in place despite the helicopter. He still wore a black suit and his black rectangle shades still hid his eyes from the world.

William was about to say something when another figure stepped from the helicopter. The man was taller then any man he had ever seen before. The man had silver hair that was pulled out of his hair except for a few strands that hit his face. He wore a long navy jacket with a red collar and white ascot. The scar down the right side of his face made him seem almost terrifying to William.

"Ah," Spencer smiled broadly and took steps toward the men. He held out his hand to them. "Albert and Sergei, so good to see you both."

"Likewise," the tall man replied with a thick Russian accent. He took Spencer's hand and gave it a firm shake.

Wesker also took Spencer's hand but didn't say anything.

"Sergei Vladimir, this is William Birkin," Spencer causally nodded his head in William's direction. "Albert, I'm sure you remember your old partner."

Wesker turned his head a fraction of an inch toward William but remained expressionless. Sergei's eyes darted up and down the scientist. After a moment he gave an unsatisfied snort. Unsure of what to do, William held out his hand to Wesker and Sergei but dropped it when neither of them took it. Feeling his cheeks burn, William looked away from them and back to his notes.

"Shall we?" Spencer asked, seeming to have ignored the snub towards William. He quickly turned on his heel and started walking to the mansion. Wesker and Sergei exchanged a glance and walked side by side behind the president of Umbrella, with William a step behind them.

William studied the large man in front of him as they made their way in silence toward the mansion. Wesker was an impressive man. He was built well and tall compared to most people but he looked average compared to the gigantic Russian next to him. William could only imagine that he would look pathetically small next to Sergei.

The four men climbed up the stars to Spencer's foreboding mansion. In the driveway there were some expensive cars lined up as the last of Spencer's guests arrived. William easily recognized all the other executive officers of Umbrella and winced when Umbrella's French Director, Christine Henry, stepped from her limousine. Henry wanted some part in the G-Virus progress and nagged him for the last few months to give her a sample.

Henry noticed him and began walking toward him, taking long strides despite her heels. William tried to turn away from her and continue following Wekser but before he could, she grabbed his arm with her pale, bony hand.

"Birkin," she hissed, green eyes peering at him from under her thick black bangs. "You owe me ze G-Virus."

"I don't owe you anything," William snapped, pulling his arm away from her, shoving his papers into his pocket. He watched as Wesker and Sergai disappeared through Spencer's large front doors. "I gave you the reports a month ago. Nothing else has changed."

"Zose papers vere fake!"

"Those were accurate descriptions of the G-Virus progress," William said, hoping the woman wouldn't see through his lie. He hadn't made any progress on the G-Virus since Spencer's visit a few months ago and had been falsifying records to keep funding. He took a step away from the French woman. "I don't know what to tell you if you don't like what you see."

Henry was about to say something back when Spencer came up to them. "Bonjour Madam."

"Monsieur Spencer," Henry drawled, giving him a half smile. "Comment allez-vous?"

"Je suis bien," Spencer replied. "Et vous?"

"Très bon, merci."

"Bien," Spencer smiled. "I hate to break up your little chat but unfortunately the meeting is going to start soon. Why don't you both come inside?"

"Of course," Henry nodded, stretching a smile across her thin, painted lips. Spencer stepped aside to allow her to pass him and she marched up the doors to his mansion before stepping inside and slamming the door shut.

"I do believe I told you that I'm not the only one you've fallen out of favor with," Spencer said smugly, reminding William of his predicament.

William shivered and started walking away from him. Spencer chuckled and quickly caught up to him. "Why so flustered, William?"

"How am I supposed to do anything with that virus of yours when I have Henry on my back?" William asked, not caring that he was stepping very far out of line with his boss. He suddenly felt emboldened to stand up to Spencer. "She is getting more impatient with me! How can you expect me-"

"It really is tragic how far you've fallen," Spencer said in mock disappointment. "Were you not once the boy who would do almost anything I ask, despite the obstacles? You once used to be my most valuable employee. Now you're just a waste of space and we can't have that around here."

William pressed his lips together and slumped his shoulders, once again feeling defeated. He hated himself for allowing Spencer to pick him apart like that but the threat still hung over his head. He knew what would happen to him if he didn't do exactly as the man demanded.

The two men entered Spencer's mansion without speaking. The rest of the executive employees were spread out in Spencer's entry hall, in small groups of two or three chatting in low voices. William easily found Wesker in a corner talking to a slender blond haired young man. The blond looked vaguely familiar but William didn't care. He needed to try to talk to Wesker and put Spencer's plan in motion.

"Hey Al," William said, walking up to the two men with a forced smile on his face. Perhaps if he appeared friendly he could make this work. "How are-"

"Don't call me that," Wesker cut him off, barely turning his head towards William. "We aren't in children anymore, _Birkin._" The last word came out as a hiss, daring William to try.

William balked at the venom in his former partner's voice and stood there, helplessly staring at Wesker. How could the man still be so cold after all this time? The young man next to Wesker giggled and William turned blue eyes on him.

"I didn't know Umbrella still employed rats," said Wesker's companion, in a very high voice.

William stared at the platinum blond man, and blinked, suddenly realizing who he was. "Ashford."

"I would be worried if you forgot who your superiors were," Alfred giggled, voice unnaturally high for a man his age. He still had the same delicate features that better suited a woman but his eyes no longer had the childish innocence they once held.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

"I am an executive officer," Alfred responded, standing up a bit straighter. "It would seem more appropriate to ask why _you're_ here. It isn't like you're the head of a lab or doing anything important anymore."

William glared at Alfred.

"I don't particularly like present company," Alfred said, leaning against Wesker. "How about you, Albert?"

Wesker grunted but didn't respond.

From the corner of the room, a small bell rang. Silence immediately fell over the Umbrella officers and everyone turned their attention to the source of the noise.

"The meeting is to begin," Spencer's butler Patrick announced. He held open the doors to Spencer's large dining room open and motioned for them to enter. "If you would all please find your seats."

Wesker quickly stepped over William and headed toward the dining room with the rest of the other officers. Alfred followed Wesker, pausing to stick his tongue out at William as he passed him.

William sighed and trudged along, the last of everyone to enter the dining hall.

Spencer's dining hall was a long rectangular room with a fireplace on one end and a large painting of himself on the other. A rectangular wooden table was placed perfectly in the center with chairs evenly spaced along its edges. Only one chair was placed at the head of the table, in front of the roaring fireplace where Spencer sat, eying each of the executive officers as they walked in and took their seats.

William watched in slight dismay as Wesker chose a seat in between Alfred and Sergei. The rest of the seats quickly filled up and he didn't want to sit anywhere near the Ashford or Henry. With nowhere else to sit, he dropped down next to Detective Brian Irons and Joel Allman.

"To start off, I'd like to introduce everyone to our new employee, Sergei Vladimir," Spencer said, breaking the silence. He motioned to the Russian and Sergei stood up. "Sergei is here to be part of our Tyrant program. He is one of the lucky few who have been deemed compatible for the Tyrant virus."

Sergei bowed his head slightly and then took his seat.

"John," Spencer said, sharply shifting his gaze to the man across from Sergei.

"Y-yes?" John Davies squeaked in reply. John was the newly appointed Chief Researcher of the Arklay Facility, taking over now that William was busy with the G-Virus and Wesker was doing work with the Intelligence Department. William felt slightly bad for the young man. Things at Arklay weren't going the best and Spencer never dealt well with disappointment.

"Sergei will be returning to the Arklay Facility with you," Spencer instructed. "I want weekly updates on the progression on how the virus assimilates into his system."

"Yes, sir."

Spencer smiled and folded his hands. "We can now begin the committee reports. Morpheus, you can begin with the R and D Department's update."

"Certainly, sir." Morpheus D. Duvall cleared his throat and pulled some notes out of briefcase resting on his lap. "The underwater facilities are continuing to do well. Just yesterday…"

William repressed the urge to sigh, already bored of the European's report. He let his eyes travel around the table until they came to rest on Wesker. He stared ahead, expression on his face completely blank and his blue eyes completely hidden by the dark shades. William wished he could tell where those eyes were looking. Back when they were friends, he'd always been able to read Wesker. But now his friend had perfected his lack of emotion and William really didn't know what he was thinking.

The various reports continued, each one more boring then the last. It didn't seem that anyone was making significant progress on any of the viruses each team was assigned to do. Everyone was hitting walls in the T-Virus projects and Henry's facility was struggling without his updated reports on the G-Virus. William spent most of the time staring around the room, imagining different things he could use to fix his G-Virus.

He also began to wonder about the virus that he was supposed to use on Wesker. Spencer told him that he would be given it once Alex Wesker finished it but he didn't know when that would be. Viruses could take up to many years to perfect, especially when the intended test subject was human. Not that Spencer had cared about his test subjects but William knew Wesker was different. Spencer would want him to succeed.

William's eyes traveled to Wesker and he jumped. Wesker was looking directly at him. Well, William wasn't sure about that but his face was directed at him but he couldn't tell about the eyes due to the dark shades.

"William?"

"Sir?" William swallowed and looked at Spencer. The man was staring at him expectantly. "My turn to present?"

"We are waiting."

He quickly stood up and pulled his notes out of his lab coat pocket. "The G-Virus is progressing quite well. Uh…"

Everyone had their eyes turned on him and he blanked. What was he going to say? What lies about progress had he not told already? He could feel his face starting to grow warm the longer he stood up there…

Spencer sighed heavily. "Just sit down."

William dropped into his chair without any type of protest.

"Thank you for that _lovely _presentation," Spencer said, idly checking his nails. "Now, as for my report, I'm going to adjust some positions within our system.

William cocked his head to the side, curious as to what kind of changes Spencer meant. He glanced around the room to the other confused faces scattered around the table. Even Wesker's stoic face showed his concern before he quickly controlled it.

For a brief moment, William entertained the idea that Spencer might decide to just kill them all. Hadn't that been what he did with Dr. Marcus? The rational part of his brain told him to stop being paranoid and to pay close attention to how things were going to change. It had to be something to do with the Wesker virus…

"The Tyrant Project and the G-Virus projects are nearing completion," Spencer spoke slowly, looking at each individual in turn. "As all of you know, these are military projects. And, as with all things military, things don't always go according to plan."

Spencer paused and no one moved. The room was so quiet that William could swear that Irons and Allman could hear his heart beating.

"In order to take care of this, I need you, Brian, to become Chief of the Police."

"Chief?" Irons repeated, a smug smile spreading across his face. William knew he was just thinking about the large paycheck he'd be receiving now as Chief rather then just Detective. "It is quite an honor."

"Yes," Spencer said. "I'll need you to send Chief Byrns to me. We have some _negotiations_ to ensure that you have the position."

Irons snorted but didn't say anything else. It was obvious what Spencer had in mind for Chief Byrns but no one had the will to say it out loud.

"Once you are chief, you will need to create a specialized combat team that can be a match to any of our new military projects, should they somehow be out of our control."

"What about Umbrella's Security Service?" Alfred spoke up, looking like a child who just had their toy taken away from them. "I just finished redesigning the training base on Rockfort Island—"

Spencer rolled his eyes. "The Umbrella Security Service will still be specially trained at your facility. However, should a problem occur, it would take them roughly four hours to be dispatched and arrive to help. Having a task force here, based in Raccoon City, would be more beneficial."

Alfred's mouth opened as if he were about to say something in reply but then he quickly shut it. William smirked at the young man, glad that Spencer had shut him down.

"Albert, I want to put you in charge of this special team."

Wesker nodded his head. "I don't have any type of military training."

"That isn't a problem," Spencer waved away his words. "Go with Alfred to Rockfort Island for a few months and go through his training program. Then come back to Raccoon City and you can finish your training with Brian. After that the two of you will begin putting the team together."

Irons grimaced. William knew that he and Wesker didn't exactly get along well but he knew it would be amusing to watch them have to work together….and then it struck William. Spencer was purposefully placing Wesker back in Raccoon City, that way the two of them would be forced to see each other. He could try to regain Wesker's trust!

"As for the rest of you, I want you to continue to push all your resources into perfecting these weapons. I also want you to continue to find and speak to potential buyers."

There were quiet nods from everyone and the room once again fell into a thick silence.

Spencer smiled at them and then waved his hands toward the doors. "William and Albert will you please remain seated and the rest of you are dismissed."

The rest of the executive members stood and silently filed out of the conference room. William looked across the table to Wesker, hoping to meet his eyes but the man was looking elsewhere. It wasn't until everyone was gone that Wesker turned his face toward William. William wanted to do something, say something, but he didn't know what to say.

"Now," Spencer started, leaning forward on the table. "I am sure you both remember the Trevor Specimen that is currently in the basement of Arklay."

"Yes, sir," both men replied in unison.

"The specimen is no longer useful," Spencer stood up and looked out the window, folding his hands behind his back. "John has failed to do anything useful with it. It has just become a large waste of funds."

William pressed his lips into a thin line. He knew what was coming next and it reminded him once again of his lack of progress in the G-Virus.

"I need you both to dispose of it," Spencer continued, still not looking at them. "It is no longer useful and I want it out of my facility within the week. You may use whatever means necessary for you to be rid of it."

"Of course," William said and Wesker nodded.

"Albert, go catch up with Alfred and let him know that you will be delayed in your trip to Rockfort. I will send William after you in a few moments."

Wesker stood and carefully walked to the door, once again not looking at William. The door slammed loudly behind Wesker and the two were left in silence.

William stared at his lap, wondering what else Spencer had in mind for him. Spencer was always working, always planning his next move, and keeping himself ahead of all his employees.

After what seemed like an eternity, there was a knock on the door and a thin blonde woman entered. She had pale skin and icy blue eyes that made William feel cold inside.

"Oswell," the woman said, voice scratchy as if she'd had to many cigarettes in her life.

Spencer turned around and smiled, possibly the first genuine smile William had ever seen and it unnerved him. "Alexandra."

William suddenly realized who it was and he felt dread. He stood up quickly and tried to head to the door, to get Wesker. "I have to go…"

"Oh, but William," Spencer crooked his finger and made a come-hither motion. Next to him the blonde haired woman was looking at him with a twisted smile. "Before you go, I have someone I want you to meet."

**Ok so I didn't actually have any one beta this chapter so there may be a few mistakes here and there. However, I hope you still enjoyed it! Please review, I really appreciate them!**


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3

The clicking of heels along the aluminum floor alerted William to her presence. She hadn't rounded the corner to his room yet, so he quickly jumped up from his sleeping position and fixed all the files on Project Wesker. He managed to set everything just so as she entered his lab.

"William." Her voice sounded like nails grating on a chalkboard.

"Wesker," William responded, trying to make his voice sound as emotionless and cold as hers.

"_Ms._ Wesker," the daggers her ice blue eyes were giving him was enough to make the blood in William's body run cold.

"My apologies," William said softly, turning back to the virus samples in front of him.

"Have you made any progress?"

William tensed. "No. The virus you created is very complex."

"Well it was meant for a great purpose," Alex drawled, leaning against the lab table. "It is unfortunate that some of the other test subjects were not worthy to receive its power."

He glanced over at her. Alex was dressed in a conservative black dress that went to her knees. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun and her lab coat was perfectly pressed. Her thin lips were turned upward in a half smile. William thought he could possibly find her beautiful if she didn't look like a cobra waiting to strike.

"Seven of them," she said, sighing contently. "Seven of my children died because they were not strong enough to maintain the virus I created. It feels so good to weed out the weak."

William stared at her. Perhaps he was imagining it but, was she…gloating?

"Did Albert ever tell you about me?" She asked him, lazily tracing over his notes.

"Yes," William said, looking at her bony hands as they danced across the page. "He said you never had time for him because of work, but then again, he didn't know about the others though."

Alex let out a harsh laugh. "Well of course not! That was never the plan. All twelve of my children thought that I was just busy with work except for the one month I spent with them."

William looked away from her. He remembered Albert's stories of how she would only stay with him one month of the year before going to work on some special Umbrella project. Even though she was the only family figure he ever knew, she treated him as if he was disposable. It made him sick to think of all eleven other children growing up with miserable childhoods because of this woman.

"How are you and Albert getting along these days?"

"Wesker is on Rockfort Island with that Ashford brat," William ground out. "The last time I saw him was at that meeting! After we got rid of that woman he left for Rockfort and never spoke to me again. I don't know when he'll be back in the states. Even if I did, how would I get him to talk to me? Besides, you know Spencer has been monitoring me-"

"Oh, William," Alex said, reaching into her lab coat pocket. "You obviously need to get more creative."

She produced a small newspaper clipping and placed it on the lab table.

"To think that Oswell told me you were bright…" Alex turned on her heel and walked out of the lab.

William watched her go and waited until her footsteps disappeared entirely before looking at the clipping.

The clipping was an article from the local newspaper about some school basketball game. Confused, William flipped it over and he understood why Alex gave him the clipping.

The heading read "New Police Task Force to Go Into Effect Tonight" and below it was a picture of Albert and Irons, the caption under it "Newly appointed Chief Brian Irons and STARS Alpha Team Captain Albert Wesker."

Immediately William began skimming the article. According to it, Wesker graduated from Rockfort Island's Military Training School and he was back in Raccoon City. Tonight the Raccoon City Police Department would be hosting a reception dinner at J's Bar. William checked his watch, if he was going to get there he needed to leave now.

* * *

><p>"Captain Wesker and I would like to congratulate each and every one of you," Irons said, standing and raising a beer to the eleven members of the newly formed STARS team who sat around the long table. The heavy man smirked under his moustache, a lame attempt at looking sincere and he once again fingered his new shining Chief of Police badge. "You've gone through an intensive training and were handpicked out of hundreds of applicants."<p>

Besides Irons, Wesker also stood and raised his beer. "Congratulations."

The table exploded into cheers and everyone took a drink. From across the bar, William rolled his eyes. He despised the new recruits, as they got louder and rowdier with each new drink. He glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed. How much longer would he have to wait to get Wesker alone?

William scowled but went back to observing the party scene in front of him. All the STARS members and Irons were seated around the long table on one side of J's Bar. Irons sat at the head of the table with Wesker to his right. He didn't seem interested in listening to whatever the big man with redish hair was saying to him. Instead, he was leering at one of the only two females on the team, a girl with black hair cut like a boys.

Though his back was towards him, William was sure Wesker was downright bored. Next to Wesker was a jock type young man with short brown hair who was talking animatedly to Wesker but the captain didn't seem to return the younger man's enthusiasm. After a few failed attempts, the young man turned his attention to the other female member of the team.

Where was Wesker looking? William wondered, leaning onto the table. He glanced around the bar, trying to see if there was anything Wesker could be focused so intently on.

William sighed heavily and looked at his beer, his mind drifting off back to the Wesker Virus. At the meeting back in July, Spencer had asked him to determine why the virus was killing off all the Wesker children. He believed that Alex had over looked something, that since she had spent twenty years on the virus, fresh eyes were needed to find out exactly why the virus was so deadly.

He shivered when he remembered the look Alex gave him when Spencer said he believed she needed a break. It was only for a brief moment that William could see her uncontrollable fury but she quickly reined it in.

Initially, William tried to see what the virus would do if he introduced different DNA samples into the virus. While it seemed like initially the virus would slowly adapt the DNA to work with it, something always happened and the virus would turn on the DNA. It would attack the DNA, ripping it to shreds, and then going on to destroy cells until the sample was dead.

It seemed strange to William that the only survivor thus far had been Alex. He almost suspected that the virus she used on herself was different from the one he was working on. Had she thrown out the correct virus and left him to this one, which she knew was a dud? Or had she engineered the virus in such a way that it would only work for her?

It would make sense, William mused. Though she was irritated when Spencer first commanded him to find out why all the Wesker children were dying she had been upset. However, her irritation seemed short-lived because she later gladly handed all her samples over. Even now when she came in to check on him she never seriously looked over his work. In fact, she acted as if she knew he would find nothing. She loved being in control of everything and he knew she was monitoring him.

But why would she kill the children she watched since they were kidnapped? William mentally slapped himself. She didn't need a motive. She was just a selfish bitch who wanted to be the most powerful woman in the world.

"Everyone!"

William was jarred out of his thoughts by the jock looking boy standing up. His blue eyes ran up and down the young man. He wore too much green for William's liking and he seemed like one of those guys who were always out to please everyone.

"Everyone!" Jock boy called over the noise. Once the rest of the STARS members settled down, the jock continued. "Jill and I were talking and we want to continue this party back at my place. Everyone in?"

There were cheers and William swore. How was he supposed to get Wesker alone now? He had gotten there before the STARS members arrived so Wesker didn't know he was here, or at least he hadn't given him any indication that he had seen William. Well even if he had, he couldn't because it would blow Wesker's cover.

The group slowly started standing up and pulling on jackets. William knew that he was going to make a move, he had to do it now. Quickly, he grabbed the beer, took a sip, and dumped the rest of it on his shirt.

Then he started to make his way over to the group, making sure to lean heavily on the chairs and tables in the way.

"Ex-squez, me," William said loudly, trying to slur his words. He stumbled and caught himself on one of the STARS members. "Excuse meeeeee."

"Uh, I think you've had a bit to drink, sir," the young man said nervously, pulling William's fingers off his yellow vest. "Uh Captain?"

"What is it now, Vickers?" Wesker drawled, walking towards them. Irons followed behind and stopped short when his eyes met William's. Wesker however, stared momentarily at the scientist before looking at Vickers. Irons was about to open his mouth to say something but Wesker cut him off. "What happened?"

"This man's drunk," Vickers explained, his voice shaking a bit. "I was just worried he might try to drive home."

"I see," Wesker said. "Were you planning on driving home?"

William started walking to the door. "I neeeeeed to get home to my…my wivvvve."

Irons snickered but was silenced when Wesker gave him a look.

"Alright, sir," Wesker held him back. "Lets call you a cab."

William stopped. That wasn't what he wanted either. He wanted to talk to Wesker, not be sent home. He needed to talk to Wesker, alone.

"I don't need a cab," William insisted, pushing Irons to the side as hard as he possibly could.

"Hold up," Wesker took out his handcuffs and grabbed William. He twisted William's arm behind his back, causing the shorter blond to wince. Though Wesker had always been the stronger of the two of them, William never remembered him being this strong. "I'm taking you in for drinking and assaulting a police officer."

"But, my wife!"

"Shut it, Doc-, sir," Irons corrected himself. "Would you like to take him down to the station?"

"I can handle it," Wesker assured Irons. "Go with the rest of the team to Redfield's house. Keep them all in line and remind them I'll see them all bright and early tomorrow."

Wesker cuffed William and forcefully led him to a parked police car.

"Captain Wesker, aren't you coming?" Jock boy asked, running up the police car. "Can't you just let him go for the night? Tonight is for celebrating!"

William rolled his eyes at jock boy but knew Wesker wouldn't go with him. Wesker knew something had to be up and no doubt he was getting tired of these STARS kids.

"Sorry Chris," Wesker said, pushing William into the back seat of the patrol car none to gently. "Laws are meant to be followed."

Before Chris could say another word, Wesker got into the car and slammed the door shut. He turned on the ignition and sped away.

"You're not going to actually arrest me are you?"

Wesker grunted and tilted his head back so he could look at William from the rearview mirror. "Did you have any place in particular that you want to be dropped off?"

"The express station."

"That's what I figured."

Wesker sped through town, weaving in an out of traffic. William just looked out the window, trying to plan on what to say. He supposed he could just try to mention interesting progress on the G-Virus to peak Wesker's interest…

Before long, Wesker stopped the car and William saw that they were at the camping grounds in the Arklay Forest. Wesker got out and dragged William to his feet. After a moment he uncuffed him and started walking into the forest. Rubbing his wrists from where the cuffs had dug into his skin, William started after him.

The woods were dark but they didn't scare William. Many times when he and Annette were younger they snuck out into the forest for a little bit of on the clock extracurricular actives. Before that, he and Wesker had hidden in the woods to discuss matters they didn't want any other Umbrella employees to over hear.

Wesker walked continuously for a solid ten minutes before stopping. He found a small clearing and leaned against one of the trees. William stopped about seven feet away from Wesker but didn't lean on any of the trees. Instead he stood awkwardly in the clearing.

"Well you got me alone Birkin, isn't that what you wanted?"

William continued to stare at the ground. Once again he wanted to mentally slap himself. Wesker and he used to be best friends, surely he could think of _something_ to say! "You can call me Will like you used to."

"Fine. Now, are you going to tell me what you wanted to talk about or am I going to have to just guess?"

"How did you know I wanted to talk?"

"In all the years that I've known you, you've never been one to turn to alcohol and you rarely leave your lab so your appearance at J's was not just a coincidence."

"Maybe I had other business."

Wesker scoffed. "With Irons? Don't tell me you now like the man."

"No."

"Then talk because you are wasting my time."

"I just…"

"Not finishing your sentences is going to get you nowhere," Wesker said condescendingly.

"I just," William looked around the forest, trying to think of something to say. "I just missed you."

"You _missed _me?"

"Yeah," William choked, about how dumb this sounded but decided to just go with that explanation. "We used to be friends and partners. No one in the lab is my intellectual equal like you and I've gotten to be so lonely."

"You sound pathetic," Wesker said, taking his glasses off and putting them into his pocket.

"It is true!" William insisted, his cheeks starting to burn. "No one has been at Umbrella as long as we have and I haven't worked as well with anyone since you left."

"As I recall, you told me to 'get the fuck out of _your_ lab' and to never come back."

William rolled his eyes. "Shit, Al! That was five years ago now! Can't you give it a rest?"

Wesker smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. "No."

"You always did hold grudges," William said, smiling a bit at the memory. "I swear, it is going to be the death of you."

"Perhaps," Wesker said, sounding amused.

Silence fell between them again. William looked at Wesker, trying to read what was going through his friend's head. He noticed there were differences in Wesker since the last time he had seen him at Spencer's executive officers meeting. Wesker's shoulders were broader and his arms were obviously toned through his police uniform. Though Wesker had always been the stronger and bigger of the two, William definitely noticed new muscle on his partner. "You work out now?"

Wesker shrugged. "Alfred's military training school is quite intensive."

William bristled at the Ashford's name. "I still hate that aristocratic brat."

"Don't worry," Wesker said, checking his watch. "The feeling seems to be mutual."

"I don't know how you can stand to be in the same room as him," William said, starting to pace a bit.

"He's changed since we saw him at Alexia's funeral reception," Wesker said thoughtfully. "Not for the better though. Alexia's influence on him is still very strong. I don't see how but I have a theory."

"Oh?"

"Not something you need to be concerned about," Wesker said with finality. William sighed but didn't push the matter. Anything about the Ashfords tended to upset him more then it should. Wesker eyed William up and down. "You are not looking well."

William shrugged. He had dropped some weight since given the task of figuring out what went wrong with the Wesker Virus. His shirts and his lab coat hang from his frame as if he were a hanger rather then a person. Though he rarely slept, he felt like he was getting even less of it then before and he knew even Annette was getting worried. "Comes with the job."

"I am aware," Wesker said. "Surely Annette isn't happy to watch you withering away. When is the last time you went home and saw her or Sherry?"

William grimaced, feeling slightly guilty. When _was_ the last time he'd seen either of them? A week? Almost two? "Longer then I'd like."

Wesker sighed and his blue eyes fixed on William with concern, genuine concern that William hadn't seen from Wesker in many years. "Why are you still working here, Will?"

William was taken aback at the genuine sadness and worry that colored Wesker's last statement. "I…I have my G-Virus…"

"You are killing yourself for the G-Virus?" Wesker asked, eyebrows raised.

The scientist opened his mouth and shut it quickly. He desperately wanted to tell Wesker about Spencer, the Wesker Virus, Alex, about everything. He was starting to get tired of carrying this secret alone with Spencer's threat hanging over his head if he failed. Why shouldn't he tell Wesker, here, where they were alone and without anyone surveying them? Perhaps they could work something out together, finally escape Umbrella?

But in the back of his mind William still thought about the G-Virus. He was so sure that he was close to a breakthrough that all he would have to do is find a potential buyer and get away. The money from the G-Virus would be enough to have him, Annette, and Sherry safe from Spencer's reaches.

Wesker sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I think that both of our time is running out in Umbrella."

"What makes you say that?" William asked breathlessly.

"Don't be dense, William," Wesker said, crossing his arms over his chest again. "Everyone knows your lack of progress with the G-Virus is getting you in trouble."

"I _am _making progress!" William insisted.

Wesker held up a hand to silence William. "I'm guessing that unless you make radical progress soon, Spencer is not going to find you useful. Just looking at your physical detrition seems to suggest that you know this as well."

"Yeah…" William said quietly. "That sorta sums it up."

"I also am beginning to believe that Spencer has some not so savory plans for me as well," Wesker continued, staring straight at William. "Creating a special task force in the event of a catastrophe at the Arklay Facility seems suspicious. I also have fallen out of favor with Spencer and being the head of such a task force in a biological outbreak would create a perfect opportunity for my death without many questions."

William breathed out slowly. While he knew that Spencer only brought Wesker back to Arklay to continue his experiment, being called back would raise suspicion for Wesker after he was gone for so many years. And as both of them knew from history, Spencer making surprise calls on you meant your time was limited. At least Wesker didn't suspect him of being in on the project.

"I believe it would be in our best interest to leave Umbrella."

"When?"

"As soon as possible."

"How?" William asked incredulously. "It isn't like we can just get up and leave without my G-Virus! I also have Sherry and Annette to worry about you know…"

Wesker grunted. "My plan is more elaborate than that."

"Oh," William said bashfully, looking down at his shoes.

"We can't suddenly disappear because Spencer will suspect something automatically," Wesker explained. "I believe that event that he must be planning will be our way out. I've started setting money aside, enough for myself as well as you and your family to go into hiding for some time. When that event occurs, in the chaos, I was thinking I could find a way to fake my death and then you can sneak out while everyone is still trying to get things back in order."

"How are you planning on faking death?" William asked, feeling doubtful still. "It would have to be well thought out in order to truly convince Spencer that you're dead."

"I'm still considering some options," Wesker said, a slight hint of doubt in his voice. He stayed quiet for a moment. "How's your G-Virus?"

William shook his head. "I still can't figure out how to control the mutations. I'm sure I could do it, I'd just need more time."

Wesker nodded and glanced at his watch. "It's nearing eleven."

"Yeah," William said. "Shall we head back?"

"I'll drop you off at J's."

"Sounds good."

* * *

><p>William silently slid back into his lab. Wesker had dropped him off at J's Bar and drove off without another word. From there, William walked back to his lab, feeling unnaturally exhausted. He was greatly relieved that Wesker and he had managed to have a fairly amicable reunion. In fact, it almost felt like old times when they were still friends. Sighing contently, William shut the door to his lab behind him.<p>

"Sneaking in at night, William?"

The scientist couldn't contain the yelp that escaped his lips. Fingers fumbling along the wall, Willaim searched until he reached the light switch and flipped it on. The bright lights quickly illuminated the lab and the man waiting for him.

"What are you doing here?" William asked, exasperated. Spencer often dropped in on him like this and it was starting to really get on his nerves.

"I know you and Wesker had a little rendezvous tonight," Spencer said. "How did it go?"

William scowled, hating Irons for ratting them out. "We talked."

"About?"

"The G-Virus."

Spencer laughed. "I would have believed you more if you said the weather."

William ignored him. He was tired and in no mood to deal with the man. He knew at least for now he was safe because he and Wesker were starting to rebuild their friendship.

"I asked you a question, William," Spencer hissed.

"Your plan isn't going to work," William said, glaring at Spencer. "He suspects that you calling him back here is a plot to dispose of him. He's on his guard and he won't be taken by surprise."

"Oh dear William! That was the point."

William's glare faltered. "It was?"

"Of course," Spencer said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "How else would you be able to give Wesker a virus without arousing suspicion on your intentions?"

William's jaw dropped and he realized once again, he played into Spencer's hands.

**Thanks to everyone who has been following this story and reviewing! As usual, any reviews would be appreciated. Hope you enjoyed it :D**


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4

Sky blue eyes watched in horror and awe as the Wesker Virus cells attacked and destroyed the human cells in the petri dish. The virus attacked viciously; quick and deadly. If William wasn't trying so hard to control the damn thing, he would have thought it was the most fascinating virus in the world.

"What did you do to it?" William breathed, once the virus had completely devoured the human cells. He managed to peel his eyes away from the petri dish and looked over to the woman on the other side of his lab.

Alex shrugged her shoulders casually. She flipped the page in the folder she was supposedly looking at though William could tell she clearly wasn't. She flipped another page, not even looking at the contents. Instead her eyes were focused like a hawk on him. "It took many years of work."

William frowned and turned his back to her. He was certain that she had made sure she was the only one who could adapt to the virus. He just didn't know if she had adapted this one or had created a whole new one for herself. Either way, he wasn't getting anywhere on figuring out how to make it safe for Albert Wesker.

He scowled at his notes and pinched the bridge of his nose. What was he missing? He knew this woman was brilliant but so was he…supposedly. But apparently not brilliant enough to figure out what she had done to this god-awful virus to make it so deadly.

"How did you keep it from essentially destroying yourself?" William snapped, not hiding his frustration. He knew he was being too direct with his question but at this point he didn't care.

Alex chuckled. "I seriously don't know why Oswell has kept you around this long."

William glared at her. "At least he trusts me with my own projects. I don't see you or anyone else helping me with my G-Virus."

Alex's cold eyes flashed red and suddenly she was holding him by the throat, pinned backwards against the cold metal of his workstation. William gasped, the wind was knocked out of him by how forcefully she threw him against his station. He hadn't even seen her, she moved so quickly and the grip she had around his neck felt more like a vice then an actual human hand.

"It is important to give respect to those who deserve it," Alex hissed into his ear. She pressed him backwards further and William winced. He couldn't bend any further backwards and he could tell Alex was just barely keeping herself from snapping his spine in half. "You don't know who you are dealing with."

She slowly released him and stepped away from him. William collapsed to the floor, the pain in his back made it too difficult for him to even stand.

"The Virus has given me this power," Alex said, staring down at him. She placed her heel against him and rolled him over so that he was lying on his back staring up at her. "No one will be able to handle it like I can."

She walked away from him and twisted a chair so that it was facing him. She sat down and leaned back, eying him in amusement. "What are you thinking, William?"

"What do you mean?" William's voice was barely above a whisper. He turned his head to look at her.

"Why don't you give up already?" Alex asked, looking at her fingernails now. "You know you can't fix it. This should be evident to you since it has been almost three years since Oswell first assigned it to you."

William pushed himself up into a sitting position and grimaced. His back hurt and his neck was starting to feel sore.

"I can't decide if you are stubborn or stupid."

"Does it really matter?" William whispered, not looking at her.

"For you it does," Alex said, standing up and starting to head to the door. "Oswell won't wait on you forever."

* * *

><p>William sat awkwardly on the porch of Albert Weserk's Raccoon City apartment, watching as the sun set slowly behind the Arklay Mountains. He left his lab at about six that evening so he knew Wesker should be home soon. Or at least, he hoped.<p>

He put his face into his hands. Alex's threat still hung over his head and he was concerned. Since he was certain that the virus Alex created would only respond to her DNA, he decided to fight back with the same solution. He would create a virus, similar to her's, but build it around Wesker's DNA.

William glanced down at the suitcase he had with him. In it, he had a few of the Wesker Virus samples, human DNA samples, and scientific equipment. He knew it was risky showing Wesker the virus Alex designed but he didn't care. Wesker was the one who asked him for a way to fake his death…

Thankfully, he didn't have to wait much longer when headlights flooded the driveway and Wesker's RPD police car drove up. William held up his hand to block the car's headlights and stood up. The engine died and he could hear the door opening and closing.

"Birkin?"

"Come on, Al," William said, trying to put on a genuine smile. He still couldn't see the other man due to the lights but he could recognize that voice anywhere. "Didn't I tell you to call me Will?"

Wesker sighed heavily and turned off his car's lights. "Fine. William, what are you doing here?"

"I had an idea about the G-Virus," William said, picking up the suitcase and showing Wesker. "But I don't want to do it in the lab…I want to run it by you."

There was a long pause. "How did you find where I live?"

"Umbrella has files on everyone, you know that," William replied. He remembered finding his own files and it was scary the amount of detail, down to a very intimate level that Umbrella knew.

Wesker nodded slowly, with understanding.

"Will you help me?"

Wesker sighed again, sounding exasperated. "Did you forget what I told you all those years ago?"

William opened his mouth and then shut it.

"Well?"

"You said the G-Virus was beyond your capabilities."

"Precisely."

William bit his lip. "I would still like you to look at it for me."

Wesker didn't say anything but started to the door of his apartment. He unlocked the door and kept the door open. William felt relieved and quickly followed him inside the apartment.

Wesker's apartment was exactly the way William remembered the side of his room being when they used to live together back at Arklay. Everything was neat and clean, looking more like a museum then a person's home. The furniture was sparse, just barely comfortable enough for two people.

"You can use the counter," Wesker said, nodding towards it and flipping on the lights.

William carefully placed his suitcase on the counter and opened it slowly. He pulled out the microscope and virus samples and set them out carefully. While he was working, Wesker disappeared into one of the rooms. The scientist could see it was his friend's bedroom. Similar to the rest of the apartment, it was devoid of anything that wasn't necessary to live.

It barely took five minutes for William to set up his makeshift lab and had it prepared for Wesker. "Do you have a pair of gloves?"

"Yeah," Wesker said, coming back from his bedroom. He had taken off his STARS vest, gun holster, and even his sunglasses. Wesker's eyes traveled up and down William and rested on his neck. "What happened to you?"

William felt his cheeks flush red and he put his hand to his neck. "Just a bad experience with one of the test subjects."

"I see." Wesker sounded skeptical but thankfully didn't press William further. "What am I looking at?"

"I've tried to make some progress on the G-Virus for the plan you had mentioned to me," William explained. "I took the basic parts of the G-Virus and added a bit of the progenitor virus. Combined, they should make for a very convincing death."

Wesker nodded and looked into the microscope. "How does it work when combined with a sample?"

"Hang on," William said. He took a syringe and added the DNA into the Wesker Virus sample. "This is a sample of human DNA."

William then waited. He knew that the virus would be ripping the DNA to shreds and this is what worried him. The G-Virus was characterized by constant mutations and regeneration not violently killing the DNA.

"This looks radically different then the G-Virus I remember you working on," Weskers said, adjusting the microscope. "It reacts completely different then I remember."

"It is different," William said quietly. "But only for the better."

Wesker looked up from the microscope, eyebrow raised. "These changes seem like a step backwards rather then forwards. Before there were just uncontrollable mutations, now it seems like the virus will just kill whatever organism you inject it into. What prompted these changes?"

"I need to make progress," William said, trying to sound exasperated. He hoped that he made it look like he was more stressed then trying to hide anything. "You said it yourself that Spencer is closing in on me. I needed to do something to make it look like I'm moving forward."

Wesker continued to keep his eye on him and William felt his heart pounding. Would Wesker believe his lies? Perhaps it had been long enough that he wouldn't notice that the basic structure was Alex's virus and not at all the G-Virus. And if he did notice, would he lose Wesker's trust? After a moment, Wesker seemed convinced and looked back at the sample.

"So how do you propose making this safe? The point of this is to keep me alive, not make it impossible to survive."

"I was thinking I'd construct it around your DNA," William explained, glad Wesker had changed the subject. "I have a base, which is the first sample virus-"

"You mean the one that destroyed the sample DNA," Wesker said flatly.

"Correct," William nodded his head. Talking about virology gave him confidence and he relaxed. "I am going to take it as a base and program the virus to accept and adapt to your DNA."

"Do you know how long this going to take?"

"Hopefully only a couple weeks."

Wesker grunted in reply but didn't say anything else. "I'm guessing you'd like some blood then?"

"If you want to survive."

"Fine." Wesker rolled up his sleeve and sat down on the couch.

William reached into his suitcase and pulled out blood collecting equipment. He grabbed a tourniquet and tied Wesker's arm.

"How's police work?" William asked, slowly sliding the needle into Wesker's vein. Blood instantly began flooding into the vials.

"Not as mentally stimulating as I would like and despite my best efforts, I think some of them actually like me."

William laughed at that and changed out the first filled vial for a new one. "How did you manage that?"

"It is beyond me but apparently people other then you fall for my charms."

"It must be difficult," William said, trying to sound serious.

Wesker looked up on him and rolled his eyes. "You have no idea."

William finished taking the blood and placed them safely in the suitcase. Wesker fixed his sleeve and walked over to the counter. Silence fell over them and William could tell Wesker was thinking.

"What?"

"You need to make that virus quick."

William tilted his head to the side, suddenly feeling nervous. Did Wesker know something he didn't? "Why?"

"Spencer called me in to his office a few weeks ago," Wesker said finally.

"What did he say?" William asked, feeling his stomach drop out of him.

"The STARS team is supposed to be a test run for Umbrella's BOWs against trained soldiers," Wesker explained.

"At the meeting he said they were supposed to be trained to protect against a possible BOW outbreak," William said slowly. "Do you think he'd purposefully create a situation where the STARS would have to interact with BOWs?"

Wesker nodded. "Without a doubt."

"But how would he control that?" William said incredulously. "Spencer wouldn't be able to ensure that the BOWs would just target one individual."

"I believe Spencer is going to clean house," Wesker said emotionlessly. "He wouldn't create an accidental BOW outbreak unless he was planning on killing off more then just me. I believe he is going to be targeting you and Annette as well as some of the current scientists."

"Fuck," William breathed, putting both his hands on his head. "I have to protect Annette and Sherry."

"One moment," Wesker said, walking into his bedroom again. William could here him rummaging around again and then he came back with a folder.

"These are new identities I've created for you and your family," Wesker explained, handing William the folder.

William opened it. Inside were new driver's licenses for him and Annette, as well as passports for the entire family. "Benjamin Berg? Where did you get that name?"

"It doesn't matter," Wesker waved his hand as if pushing it aside. "Also inside is the bank account with the money I've set aside for your family in the escape. It should be enough to keep you and your family comfortable until you can settle into a new location and I can provide you with further instructions."

"Thank you," William said quietly, feeling touched by Wesker's consideration. It really proved that Wesker was, and still is, his only friend in the whole world. The only person he could fully trust. Then he felt a pang of guilt shoot through him. And yet, here he was, going with Spencer's plan because of his love of the G-Virus. The pain of guilt filled him and he almost wanted to refuse the folder and tell Wesker what Spencer had over him. Yet, he couldn't. Wesker was ensuring that Annette and Sherry would be safe and William couldn't risk losing that.

"I trust you can keep those safe until the time comes when you'll need it," Wesker crossed his arms over his chest.

"Of course," William said, slipping the papers into his suitcase. "Did he give any indication as to when he was planning on pulling this stunt?

Wesker shook his head. "No, but I doubt it will be much longer."

* * *

><p>William stood almost motionless over his new virus sample, syringe poised above the petri dish. This was the moment of truth. He had worked on the virus almost non-stop since his meeting with Wesker three weeks ago and he was certain he'd finally figured it out.<p>

Taking a deep breath, William slowly pushed the plunge on the syringe and the DNA flooded the petri dish.

Almost immediately the virus started changing and reacting to the DNA. However, instead of destroying it, the virus adapted the DNA. When it finally stopped, the DNA looked slightly different, closer to Alex's DNA.

The scientist couldn't even breathe. It had worked.

It. Had. Worked.

William let out a shaky breath and blinked. His virus has successfully taken Albert Wesker's DNA and adapted to it instead of destroying it. William felt relieved, as if a huge weight had been removed from his shoulders.

"Dr. Birkin!"

A hurried knock came from the door.

"Not now," William called to the door, eyes still focused intently on the virus. He needed to test this one someone, perhaps a random civilian to make sure it wouldn't adapt to just anyone's DNA.

"Dr. Birkin!" the voice continued, banging harder on the door. "You need to come now! It's an emergency!"

William rolled his sky blue eyes. Maybe he should just test it on this annoying messenger. The scientist pulled off his gloves and opened the door. A young man that William knew he'd seen before at the Arklay Training facility but couldn't remember his name was standing at the door. The young man's face was pale and he looked frantic. "What is it?"

"There's some kind of problem at Arklay!" The young man exclaimed. "You must come quickly!"

"What kind of problem?" William asked, walking back to the workstation. He started to slowly clean up the virus and place it into a safe.

"There has been a T-Virus outbreak at Arklay," the younger man explained hurriedly. "It's killing everyone!"

"What?!" William yelped, spinning on his heel. "Are the BOWs out?"

"Yeah," the young man said, starting to head back to the elevator. "Spencer told me to call for you. He said you'd be able to help in the clean up."

"He did?" William suddenly felt as if his legs were made of Jell-O. He grasped onto the workstation for support. It was finally happening.

"Dr. Birkin," the young man said, motioning for him to follow. "We need to go now!"

"I'll be there in a moment," William said, his heart pounding so hard he was sure his ribs were going to burst. "I just need to make a phone call."

The young man looked at him for a moment then turned away and disappeared into he the elevator.

William took a few deep breaths to call himself. Barely able to keep standing, William stumbled to the phone. He picked up the receiver and clicked a few digits. The phone rang a few times before a telltale click signaled that someone picked up.

"Captain Wesker."

"Hey Al," William said, voice shaking.

"I told you not to call me on this line," Wesker snapped.

"Al," William gulped. "I think our time's up."

**Thanks again to all the reviews and follows! I always appreciate them! 3  
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